I’ve Learned To Lose You

After the dire wolves attacked the pack it came to light that Artorias and Briar had been attacked by one of the same giant dire wolves while they were in the Wraith's Woods not long before that so with his patrols done for the first half of the day he made his way out forward the tangled forest, determined to make sure that they were completely gone. He had been slowly working his way though the surrounding territories and working his way further into Auster to look for any more traces of the beasts, the same as he had done for the saber cats after they attacked the pack. He knew it was impossible to fend off all threats that might face his pack, but if he could be proactive in preventing any more deaths or injuries then he'd go to the ends of the earth to do that for his wolves.

He had been reluctant at first to fully embrace the title of Aegis after Resin passed it on to him, but the longer that he lived it the more protective and possessive he grew of each and every one of them. They trusted him to lead them and protect them and he took that seriously. He worked his way through the rough undergrowth and brambles as he wove his way through the forest, making his way deeper into the trees while on high alert, his ears swiveling and listening, silver eyes scanning the area around him. It seemed pretty quiet, but he wasn't going to relax until he was certain.

There was a quiet lapping of water and he moved toward it, spotting a lake though the trees. As he slipped out of the thick of the forest and onto the shore of the lake he looked across the water for a moment before a hint of the familiar scent of blood caught his attention. It was faint on the breeze, but still very much there and his hackles bristled, eyes scanning the shore. A fair distance away, far enough away that he couldn't clearly make out patterns or features, he saw a wolf-shaped figure laying beside the lapping edge of the lake and he squinted, trying to figure out if that's where the scent was coming from. Deciding to get a closer look, he started trotting along the edge of the lake, long strides carrying him quickly to see what was going on.

As he drew closer, the figure became more familiar, and dread started to creep up from his gut. "Aranea...?" he questioned as he picked up speed into a lope and then into a full run as he drew closer and realized that it was in fact her, skidding to a halt beside her on the sandy shore, nearly knocking himself off his feet in his rush. "Aranea? Aranea!" he said, his paw on her shoulder shaking her, trying to wake her up as he scanned the scene, putting together pieces that his mind didn't want to accept. She was unresponsive, a bowl of some kind beside her, and... and she was pregnant. Very, very noticeably pregnant. But how could she...? Unless... But how...?" His mind was reeling, panic squeezing at his chest, especially when he saw all the blood under her tail. "Aranea!"

Ulric Adravendi